2018年CRI India's Carnatic Singers Face Backlash For Performing Non-Hindu Songs

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Now to a musical controversy¹ in South India. First, we have to explain something called Carnatic singing. It's a type of classical music rooted in Hinduism. Some fans of this are angry because some performers are using this style of music to adapt Christian² songs. From Chennai, NPR's Lauren Frayer reports.

UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing in foreign language).

LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE³: Practically every night here, you can find free concerts like this one of traditional South Indian music, Carnatic singing.

UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing in foreign language).

FRAYER: It's like jazz - improvisational⁴ - but most of the songs are devotional, in praise of Hindu gods.

O.S. ARUN: (Singing in foreign language).

FRAYER: O.S. Arun has been a Carnatic singer for 35 years. He's recorded dozens of albums, performed with Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr and is famous for adapting outside songs to Carnatic style.

ARUN: (Singing) Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are falling (ph), (vocalizing).

FRAYER: But this summer, when Arun advertised a concert of Christian hymns⁵ in Carnatic style, social media erupted, calling him a traitor⁶ to his Hindu faith.

ARUN: I'm a Hindu - hundred percent Hindu. And that's the beauty of Carnatic music. It is very, very easy to adapt yourself to any style, explore a different genre⁷ out of love for music, not that I want to convert into any other religion. Come on. Give me a break.

FRAYER: Arun and other Carnatic singers have long included Christian or Muslim songs in their repertoire⁸. It was never an issue.

LAALITHYA KONDURU: It's not that they're singing about Jesus.

FRAYER: Laalithya Konduru, a doctor and amateur musician herself, wrote a magazine op-ed saying it's fine to praise Jesus - just don't use Hindu devotional music to do it.

KONDURU: They're taking something inherently Hindu and trying to strip it of its roots and say this is not Hindu. That's what people are finding offensive.

FRAYER: That offense⁹ has boiled over on Carnatic singers' Facebook and YouTube pages. They've been called disgusting cretins. Arun got threatening phone calls. And one by one, Hindu temples in the U.S. where Carnatic singers were supposed to perform this fall have said they're no longer welcome. When the secretary of Chennai's prestigious¹⁰ music academy wrote an article defending Arun's artistic¹¹ freedom, there were calls for him to be fired. M. Ramesh, a Chennai journalist and Carnatic singing fan, says this is not about music. It's about politics and the rise of Hindu nationalism in India.

M. RAMESH: It's been there for a long time. And today there is a perception that the climate is now right for them to speak. There is a pro-Hindu nationalist government.

FRAYER: The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Some of his followers¹² believe India's Hindu identity is under threat.

RAMESH: The government, I think, is not doing enough to stop these voices - extremist voices.

FRAYER: Laalithya Konduru, the doctor who wrote an op-ed, says she's no extremist. She's a religious conservative defending the religious character of this music, and she doesn't want to be labeled a bigot.

KONDURU: They're suddenly, like, oh, them right-wingers. They look down upon them. Why? Freedom of expression, freedom of speech - why can't it be for the other side as well?

ARUN: (Singing in foreign language).

FRAYER: Now O.S. Arun only dares to sing about different gods within the privacy of his own home. He switched off social media and canceled his U.S. tour. He shrugs¹³ and says maybe this is just his karma, to be caught between music and politics.

ARUN: (Vocalizing).

FRAYER: Lauren Frayer, NPR News, Chennai, India.

ARUN: (Singing) Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away (vocalizing), yesterday (vocalizing).

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 improvisational   

adj. 即兴的

参考例句：

• I have never been at games like charades or improvisational acting. 您从来都唔擅长玩“有口难言”或者“即席表演”之类既游戏。
• I'm practicing self-control, those random and improvisational acts aren't allowed. 我在练习控制自己，那些随意的、即兴的举动是不允许的。

5 hymns   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At first, they played the hymns and marches familiar to them. 起初他们只吹奏自己熟悉的赞美诗和进行曲。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
• I like singing hymns. 我喜欢唱圣歌。 来自辞典例句

6 traitor   

n.叛徒，卖国贼

参考例句：

• The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
• He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。

7 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

8 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。

9 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

10 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

11 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

12 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

13 shrugs   

n.耸肩（以表示冷淡，怀疑等）( shrug的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany shrugs off this criticism. 匈牙利总理久尔恰尼对这个批评不以为然。 来自互联网
• She shrugs expressively and takes a sip of her latte. 她表达地耸肩而且拿她的拿铁的啜饮。 来自互联网